How often do you practice skills?

[Doppler]

Last fall I was explaining to a friend who is affiliated with a CCR manufacturer that I had about 30 hours on a new unit and had bailed out to OC on most dives for at least a few minutes and sometimes for a good portion of the ascent/exit. He nodded his head and we moved on to other issues; but his companion looked a little taken aback. After a brief pause she suggested I might invest in a "more reliable CCR" to which there really was no polite answer.


Lynne, to answer directly, most dives.

 

[rjack321]

I think this is one place where people who INSTRUCT technical diving have a big advantage -- because they ARE doing basic skills on a regular basis.

Why can't you do airshares in a long hose with Peter's students? Have them donating octos and donating primaries to see the differences. Doesn't seem like that would be against padi standards but what do I know.

 

[TSandM]

Well, that will be possible now, Richard, but when Peter was teaching for Bubbles, I was required to do the pool sessions in "standard" gear. And in OW, they don't do airshares with me, they do them with Peter.

In addition, it's difficult to polish the drill to a fine shine when doing it with someone who is having a great deal of trouble just getting it done.

Steve, it's really sad that someone doing technical diving would feel that way about a critical emergency skill.

 

[boulderjohn]

Why can't you do airshares in a long hose with Peter's students? Have them donating octos and donating primaries to see the differences. Doesn't seem like that would be against padi standards but what do I know.

This is a generic response rather than to Peter and Lynne's specific situation.

The PADI standards do not call for any specific method for securing an alternate air source. They are, in fact, carefully worded to allow for any commonly used methodology.

The decision you have to make as an instructor for OW students is this: do I train them in the methodology and gear I use and prefer myself, or the methodology and gear they are most likely to use?

When I work with OW students, I show them the conventional Octo, the Air II, and the long hose and bungied alternate. I explain each. I tell them that I use the long hose myself, and I tell them why.

When we are in the pool, though, we use a conventional setup. Why? Because that's what history tells us more than 95% of them will use. By far most of the students will not purchase equipment right away but will instead rent equipment at their vacation site. That rental equipment will certainly be conventional octo. Our shop sells all manner of equipment, and instructors like me show them all kinds, but when students purchase, they overwhelmingly purchase conventional setups.

Consequently, that is what we teach them to do in the pool, and I am OK with that. (BTW, my UTD/DIR instructor is also a PADI instructor for the shop, and when he teaches OW students, that is what he does as well.)

 

[Trace Malinowski]

I was out last night with a newer diver, and we did a round of S-drills, and I noticed I really wasn't sharp. And I started thinking about it -- back in the days when I was always between classes, we did lots of practicing. We'd either have designated training dives, or just put skills into fun dives.

But when I went to do my Cave 2 class, I was seriously hampered by not having practices things like line-following exits and moving the team across the line, because I had forgotten many of the fine points. And now, I'm just kind of slow and clumsy at drills, which I haven't done in a drysuit for quite a while. (We do some S and valve drills at the beginning of each cave diving trip, but that's different )

So I wonder how often folks who have finished their formal classes actually practice their emergency procedures. After all, one hopes we never have occasion to use them for real -- so the only time we'd go through them is in formal practice.

Two or more days per week.

Tomorrow, I'll be coaching dry suit diving for a gentleman who took GUE-F so I'll have an opportunity to demonstrate and practice center of gravity, trim, buoyancy, propulsion, descent/ascent drills, basic 5, S and valve drills. This weekend, I have a trimix course (day 1) so I'll be demonstrating failures, bottle passing drills, switching drills, DSMB shoots, no mask skills, etc. I was supposed to coach another student this weekend, but she canceled so I'll probably practice freediving with the free day. Monday, I have advanced nitrox/deco (last day) so we'll do a couple failures to shake off some rust such as an OOG to gas switch and one diver lost gas since the student needed to take some time away from diving while he became a new daddy. His critical skills are excellent. We recently practiced them when he resumed diving this season. Tuesday, I have a solo course so I'll be practicing removing and replacing my Hogarthian rig, valve failures, lost fins, lost gear, etc. Last week, I did two remove and replace the doubles exercises in a row at the end of a dive to look good on Tuesday. Wednesday, I have two students for Intro to Tech coaching, so lots of Fundies type skills. Then, I leave for FL where I'll be filming skill drills. Last month, I spent two whole weeks doing nothing but skillwork for videos. Last week, I did DSMB deployment, valve drills, Basic-5 for power point being shot on digital camera for 2 days. Thursday, I leave for FL for fun cave and wreck diving. Along the way we are shooting video and digital skill work for projects. I've been swimming in open water the last week getting back into swim shape and practicing lifeguard rescue skills for an upcoming class.

My girlfriend is back to diving after surgery. Her Basic-5 and S-drills were a little rusty after not diving for a few months, but not bad at all.

I love my job ... and my girlfriend! They keep me honed.

 

[Dive-aholic]

I think this is one place where people who INSTRUCT technical diving have a big advantage -- because they ARE doing basic skills on a regular basis.

Yep! It's not why I teach, but it is a big advantage!

 

[JS1scuba]

I practice skills of some sort on every dive I do. With all the different modes of diving I do it's important that I keep sharp on things. It's not uncommon in a week to be diving, singles pool, singles open water, doubles, doubles with stages, CCR, no-stop, decompression, and then commercial salvage and inspection with FFM and comms.

The things I practice the most will be simple survival types of things like:

Mask floods (every dive)
Knife removal and replacement
Back up light removal and replacement
Up-Line deployment
Lost buoyancy device
Out of Gas scenarios
Line reel use
CCR bail out
CCR to SCR

I will do each for several repets and on CCR bail out its not uncommon for me to finish the dive on OC just for kicks and giggles.

It's important to practice even when you are good at it. It's what helps you stay good at it.

Cheers
JDS

 

[TSandM]

It's important to practice even when you are good at it. It's what helps you stay good at it.

Joel, you and I have had our differences of opinion in the past, but here is one place where we are in absolute, solid agreement!